Yakshagana is a classical folk art of Karnataka, mostly popular in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod district of Kerala and is considered a form of opera in western eyes. Performed as a temple art over the years, Yakshagana still forms an integral part of the cultural programmes presented during temple festivals in the Kasaragod region. The name, Yakshagana literally means song of the demi gods – Yaksha (demi gods or spirts of nature) Gana ( means song). This unique dance form is a perfect blend of dance, music, songs, scholarly dialogues and colorful costumes. Yakshagana performers wear huge headgears, elaborate facial make-up, colorful costumes and ornaments which together give a superhuman appearance to the character presented. The themes of the plays are taken from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Costume falls into several basic categories: basic male and basic female, aerial dweller and forest dweller, hunter, demon and demoness, animal and bird, deity, teacher, sage, comedian and some miscellaneous character. The traditional costume consists of a dhoti (like a wrap around skirt), a pajama, a jacket or vest, and a loose gown.  The vest-like garment is generally in shades of green or red, and the dhoti has red, black and orange checks. Red-and-white cloth is tied around the waist at the back. A character’s girth is sometimes increased by tying sheets of colorful cloth and saris around him. It is customary for males to perform the roles of females. Female costumes are simple, typically the garments worn by local women. Personality traits might be symbolized in the color of jacket worn.  Age is shown by length of jacket sleeve, type of headdress, color of hair, mustache and beard. Each characters costume, ornaments and headgear weighs from 8-10 kgs.

Ornaments: Ornaments are made of light wood, canvas and fabric, finely covered with golden foil and inlaid with colored mirrors, stones, and beetle wings. Beautiful appliqué work is done on the armlets, crowns, and belts. Armlets (bhujakeerthi) worn near the elbows look like wings or thorny acorns, in ancient times, real thorns were used.  Besides the heavy armlets and anklets, performers wear intricate edehara (chest ornaments made of wood and decorated with paper and glass pieces) and veeragase (an ornament tied around and flowing beneath the waist.) The veeragase is in the shape of a banana leaf.

Headgear: Head dresses (kirita or pagade) are complex constructions, with several tiers made from canvas and fabric stuffed with hay, and a portion made of wood covered with gold foil and inlaid with attractive artificial stones, glass and mirrors. They closely resemble the leaves. Today the head gears are made of thermocol as they are light and easy to carry around

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